Hello to you all. One of my gifts from Mom & Dad this year is 4 hanks of beautiful yarn from the Bahamas from their recent cruise there.( I am so happy that they were able to go on a “real” holiday trip since they’ve never really been on one.) It is a gorgeous burnt orange, 60% alpaca/40% merino wool. I haven’t read the weight yet but it looks like DK or worsted. Now, I’m a beginner and I’ve only made a few headbands and a wrist cuff and lots of practice swatches. I don’t feel ready to tackle, say, a sweater, but I’d like to knit something larger to use up some of that yarn! Any ideas for a larger project that’s not too challenging for me?
Ideas for larger project for beginner
My first idea is a cowl, it could be thought of as a baggy and long headband which you have already mastered. That is probably since I’ve become addicted to knitting cowls.
But I see that you are in Louisiana, so you certainly don’t need it for warmth, but it might be a good opportunity to find a lacy stitch you like to learn that technique.
Second idea was along similar lines. You have knit lots of practice swatches. A bunch of larger “practice swatches” of different stitches sewn together make a lapghan or afghan.
A bunch of us at work several years ago took one of those afghan square books with tons of different stitches and each made 3-5 squares in the same yarn and made a surprise afghan for a coworker. Someone else brought in the book so I don’t remember what it is, but I loved the concept. A good way to try out new stitches and made something more useful than swatches.
Good luck and most importantly have fun!
This sounds like fabulous yarn for a sweater or shawl (depnding on your needs in Louisiana). Why not save it for the moment and practice making something larger with other yarn? Then with a little more confidence, you can use this thoughtful gift for the larger project.
What about making a vest with it? I’ve not tried a vest (since I’m not the vest type), but it seems like you could find one with minimal shaping and some new things to learn.
It would help if you’d let us know the weight or gauge and also how much of it you have. Four hanks doesn’t mean much because some hanks can be over 200 yds and some can be as little as 85 yds or so. It’ll make a difference in what we suggest.
Thanks for your responses.
lenaznap-I’ll take the cowl idea! It’s true that it’s not cold here like up North, but I suppose it’s enough so that I can get some use out of cowls and scarves (only a few, though!)
salmonmac-I’d love to work on some lace, so a light, airy shawl would be nice for warmer weather (which could follow a day which was freezing cold!) I could wear the cowl one day, and the lacy shawl the next day, literally! I’ll have to see how much yardage each project would take. (depending on the patterns I pick for the cowl and the shawl.)
Jan-actually, I realized that I have 6 hanks, worsted weight, 200 yards each, so it’s more than I thought it would be.(Yay!)